Which is my best choice to connect my monitor?

[angryred]

Posted this in the main forum with no replies; maybe this is the bettor forum for this Q.



So I'm finally ready to start, as I suddenly had an extra computer drop in my lap.  1.7gHz AMD Athlon, 600 mb RAM. Crappy vid card (4mb Diamond Stealth II, plan to replace), no sound card (old SB Live ready to go in). Should be powerful enough to run stuff through the late 80's, the end of my arcade days.

My cabinet is an old Phoenix cab converted to JAMMA, with Escape From The Planet Of The Robot Monsters in it right now.  Basically all I want to keep from the guts of the cab are the monitor and the power supply for the monitor; I'm going to pull the boards, the sound, and the control panel (including my beloved Hall effects-- wish I could figure out a way to work them into this process). A Frankenpanel has been designed, but that's step 2.

Step 1 is how best to go about using the monitor (Wells-Gardner 19K7906).  I'd like the machine to be as versatile as possible, as far as also running Visual Pinball and console emulators along with MAME, so I'm *pretty* sure I want to be running a 640x480 Windows on it (planning on Win2000 Pro, but 98 is also an option).

At this point I'm trying to figure out whether I want to do a PC2JAMMA hack to use the monitor (since that plug just looks so appetizingly simple), or get rid of the JAMMA harness altogether and use the ArcadeVGA card direct (and how to go about that). If I understand correctly, the PC2JAMMA method is much more restrictive in what it's able to render; is that correct?  I'm pretty sure I'm going to be getting the ArcadeVGA card either way, but what is my best next step at this point?

At this point I just want to get the PC running properly on this monitor, then I can begin work on the control panel. It's great to have a friend that runs a scene construction shop.

[FrizzleFried]

ArcadeVGA + JPAC = Your friend

BTW:  That 1.7ghz AMD will run anything from the 80's and most of your fighters from the 90's without issue (aside from 3d stuff).

[angryred]

ArcadeVGA + JPAC = Your friend

So, I can use the JPAC to handle the monitor only, then?  I had planned on using a (maybe two) IPAC for the controls.  My only other confusion on this issue was would it be cheaper (and still simple) to get rid of the JAMMA plug-- but I have no idea what I'd be doing to revert to the monitor's original connection.

Thanks very much. 

BTW:  That 1.7ghz AMD will run anything from the 80's and most of your fighters from the 90's without issue (aside from 3d stuff).

Great.    I had hoped to have Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter in there too.  I was gone from the arcades by the time Virtua Fighter, etc. had moved in.

[SirPeale]

J-PAC will plug right into your existing JAMMA harness.  Wiring made easy.  All it does it the controls and *route* the video to the monitor.  To get a 15KHz signal, you *should* be able to use the video card you already have.  But if you're using Windows, go with the ArcadeVGA.

Oh, and FrankenPanels?  Don't do it.

[FrizzleFried]

Think of the JPAC as an IPAC with a monitor interface included...

[angryred]

J-PAC will plug right into your existing JAMMA harness.  Wiring made easy.  All it does it the controls and *route* the video to the monitor.  To get a 15KHz signal, you *should* be able to use the video card you already have.  But if you're using Windows, go with the ArcadeVGA.

OK, cool. Thanks for the info.  And with the J-PAC, I'll have some controls up and running immediately, then.  Although I most likely won't have joysticks; everything I've read over time seems to indicate that my Hall effects won't work.  But maybe the JAMMA interface will keep them working? Won't know until I try...

Oh, and FrankenPanels?  Don't do it.

I read quite a few threads on this forum before posting, and I still didn't know better than to bring that up.  I'm not even getting into that debate.

Think of the JPAC as an IPAC with a monitor interface included...

Got it.  Thanks.  I'll still need an IPAC as the JPAC won't handle all the controls I have in mind-- maybe even two.  It's not the buttons that are the issue, it's the joysticks, and as far as I can tell the most I can get is 4 on one IPAC...